something to get the gears in the head running
Although I haven't posted on LJ in a good, let's say...6 months, I won't call this my epic return to the site. I'm not epic, but I assumed that what I had to post was worth doing so.
I write for The Signal, Georgia State University's campus newspaper. I'm mainly doing it for experience and resume material, simply not for credentials. I'm a Journalism major, but my concentration is on Telecommunications. The paper has been criticized in the past for presenting lackluster writing from the staff. Unfortunately, only a handful of the protesters actually take their words into action and start writing for the paper.
Uusually, I get my topic on Wednesday, plan or start writing on Thursday, and finish (under time pressure), by Friday, but that's how I work. I plan, write, and move on. But this week when I had a few friends approach me about the article and lauded my efforts, I was quite please.
So here it is, my article for this past week's paper.
Thanks to those of you who get around to reading it, and if not, truly understandable. I write A LOT.
Celebrity talk given more exposure than what truly matters
By John Asante
Journalism
jasante1@student.gsu.edu
Have you ever turned on the television and wondered if the media thinks about what truly constitutes as news? If not, the seemingly trivial episodes dealing with Senator Barack Obama, and Rosie O’Donnell, along with Donald Trump may affect your previous answer.
In a recent issue of People, Illinois Senator Barack Obama is shown alongside the likes of Hugh Jackman, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Alba and Catherine Zeta-Jones…in his bathing suit, running off a beach. During his latest vacation in Hawaii, the potential Democratic candidate to run for the 2008 Presidential election is hunted down by cameras, only to show what seems like a lackluster physique.
When posed with questions about his shots in the gossip magazine, Obama stated that he is embarrassed by his appearance. This is coming from the man who is self-conscious about his own ears, let alone his chest for the public to view. The senator does not appear in the magazine as he does in real life, according to Chicago Sun-Times reporter Neil Steinberg. Barack Obama apparently “doesn't have enough fat on his body to make a butter pat."
Now, I think in this case, the media did put extra and immediate attention on a congressman’s leisure time in the wrong way. Nothing on a wide-scale emphasis occurred that would have made Obama leave and shorten his vacation time. As a matter of fact, an additional reporter asked him if the pictures in People are intended as a challenge to his contenders Chris Dodd and John McCain. Of course, the pictures would not apply to the fellow congressmen, as they are older than the Illinois senator. As expected, Obama neglected the photos and continued on with his campaign, in which he has bigger fish to fry.
Even though the Barack Obama case may be as outlandish, due to its presence, the lack of beneficial news does not stop there. The latest stages in the Rosie/Donald feud are still being covered by the mass media. For those of you who are not quite familiar with the bickering stemming between Rosie O’Donnell and Donald Trump (because it does not affect you), here is a quick breakdown.
Controversy dealing with the recent Miss USA pageant started when Donald Trump still decided to crown initial champion Tara Conner, after her stints of underage drinking became publicly known. Rosie then accuses Trump of having no right to be “the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America.” The real-estate mogul then sends Rosie a letter via TV show “The Insider,” explaining that he heard from one of her “The View“ co-hosts that working with her was “like living in hell.” To top it all off, O’Donnell teams up with co-host Barbara Walters to calls him out on his less-than-pleasing ratings on “The Apprentice” on national television. To think that this situation is a hot topic worries me to some extent.
From what I see, a majority of the squabbling could be ceased if one person stepped in to help in a different way or not at all: Barbara Walters. She first called Trump while he was on vacation to try and amend the state of confusion by calling him. Walters told him that to “never get in the mud with pigs” and not to “worry, she won’t be here for long,” referring to Rosie’s return to popular television. It does not stop there. Walters is soon accused of making the conflict between O’Donnell and Trump appear under control, which then leads to Walters siding with Rosie to publicly humiliate Trump.
The whole process was long and drawn out. I respect Barbara Walters, due to her longtime journalistic work and stills on national television. However, I assumed that she would have more sense than to drag and try to solve a feud between two people that have enough money already to live great lives.
In journalism classes in the past and present, I was taught the most important elements to what is considered newsworthy. As I go down the list, I see that the impact of the situations were miniscule on a large scale, unless a pageant is a life or death situation to some. Conflicts are supposed to be used to tell an effective story, only if the media does not attempt to over dramatize them. How about novelty and prominence? There are indeed present, due to the situations of a bare-chested congressman and a billionaire and television personality bickering making big headlines.
Proximity does not exactly play a large role in these situations; relating it back to impact, paparazzi shots and call-outs only affect so many people, namely followers and fans. Last but not least, why was the Rosie/Trump feud talked about days later constantly, although new conflicts did arise? The element of timeliness is just a bit off-center in this one. I just have one thought of contemplation for the future: Curiosity may have killed the cat, but large amounts of sensationalism will kill the media.
Until next time...
PEACE.
I write for The Signal, Georgia State University's campus newspaper. I'm mainly doing it for experience and resume material, simply not for credentials. I'm a Journalism major, but my concentration is on Telecommunications. The paper has been criticized in the past for presenting lackluster writing from the staff. Unfortunately, only a handful of the protesters actually take their words into action and start writing for the paper.
Uusually, I get my topic on Wednesday, plan or start writing on Thursday, and finish (under time pressure), by Friday, but that's how I work. I plan, write, and move on. But this week when I had a few friends approach me about the article and lauded my efforts, I was quite please.
So here it is, my article for this past week's paper.
Thanks to those of you who get around to reading it, and if not, truly understandable. I write A LOT.
Celebrity talk given more exposure than what truly matters
By John Asante
Journalism
jasante1@student.gsu.edu
Have you ever turned on the television and wondered if the media thinks about what truly constitutes as news? If not, the seemingly trivial episodes dealing with Senator Barack Obama, and Rosie O’Donnell, along with Donald Trump may affect your previous answer.
In a recent issue of People, Illinois Senator Barack Obama is shown alongside the likes of Hugh Jackman, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Alba and Catherine Zeta-Jones…in his bathing suit, running off a beach. During his latest vacation in Hawaii, the potential Democratic candidate to run for the 2008 Presidential election is hunted down by cameras, only to show what seems like a lackluster physique.
When posed with questions about his shots in the gossip magazine, Obama stated that he is embarrassed by his appearance. This is coming from the man who is self-conscious about his own ears, let alone his chest for the public to view. The senator does not appear in the magazine as he does in real life, according to Chicago Sun-Times reporter Neil Steinberg. Barack Obama apparently “doesn't have enough fat on his body to make a butter pat."
Now, I think in this case, the media did put extra and immediate attention on a congressman’s leisure time in the wrong way. Nothing on a wide-scale emphasis occurred that would have made Obama leave and shorten his vacation time. As a matter of fact, an additional reporter asked him if the pictures in People are intended as a challenge to his contenders Chris Dodd and John McCain. Of course, the pictures would not apply to the fellow congressmen, as they are older than the Illinois senator. As expected, Obama neglected the photos and continued on with his campaign, in which he has bigger fish to fry.
Even though the Barack Obama case may be as outlandish, due to its presence, the lack of beneficial news does not stop there. The latest stages in the Rosie/Donald feud are still being covered by the mass media. For those of you who are not quite familiar with the bickering stemming between Rosie O’Donnell and Donald Trump (because it does not affect you), here is a quick breakdown.
Controversy dealing with the recent Miss USA pageant started when Donald Trump still decided to crown initial champion Tara Conner, after her stints of underage drinking became publicly known. Rosie then accuses Trump of having no right to be “the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America.” The real-estate mogul then sends Rosie a letter via TV show “The Insider,” explaining that he heard from one of her “The View“ co-hosts that working with her was “like living in hell.” To top it all off, O’Donnell teams up with co-host Barbara Walters to calls him out on his less-than-pleasing ratings on “The Apprentice” on national television. To think that this situation is a hot topic worries me to some extent.
From what I see, a majority of the squabbling could be ceased if one person stepped in to help in a different way or not at all: Barbara Walters. She first called Trump while he was on vacation to try and amend the state of confusion by calling him. Walters told him that to “never get in the mud with pigs” and not to “worry, she won’t be here for long,” referring to Rosie’s return to popular television. It does not stop there. Walters is soon accused of making the conflict between O’Donnell and Trump appear under control, which then leads to Walters siding with Rosie to publicly humiliate Trump.
The whole process was long and drawn out. I respect Barbara Walters, due to her longtime journalistic work and stills on national television. However, I assumed that she would have more sense than to drag and try to solve a feud between two people that have enough money already to live great lives.
In journalism classes in the past and present, I was taught the most important elements to what is considered newsworthy. As I go down the list, I see that the impact of the situations were miniscule on a large scale, unless a pageant is a life or death situation to some. Conflicts are supposed to be used to tell an effective story, only if the media does not attempt to over dramatize them. How about novelty and prominence? There are indeed present, due to the situations of a bare-chested congressman and a billionaire and television personality bickering making big headlines.
Proximity does not exactly play a large role in these situations; relating it back to impact, paparazzi shots and call-outs only affect so many people, namely followers and fans. Last but not least, why was the Rosie/Trump feud talked about days later constantly, although new conflicts did arise? The element of timeliness is just a bit off-center in this one. I just have one thought of contemplation for the future: Curiosity may have killed the cat, but large amounts of sensationalism will kill the media.
Until next time...
PEACE.